Author: coppersclassic_edr2py

Coppers Classic isn’t happening this year, but we’re still having a workshop! Thisclass will focus on solutions for ringing sections of music that require quick changes from one bell to the next. Some people use “weaving” as a solution. But this class is not just about weaving, but also when NOT to weave. It incorporates a very simple technique of displacing a handbell in order to play a passage of music easier and perhaps more musically. Especially soloists and ensemble ringers will want these tricks up their gloves. But the class is a perfect fit for handbell ringers of all levels! Cost is $15, but free to all Coppers Classics alums. To register, simply send an email to:
eventcoordinatorcoppersclassic@gmail.com

For more information on the workshop, download the flyer here:
PLWorkshopFlyer

Sadly, the event team has made the decision to cancel Coppers Classic for 2022.

COVID is still with us. It is a shadow that leaves fellow musicians wanting to participate but torn, feeling unsafe to travel, and unsafe due to the possibility of bringing disease home to aging loved ones, grandchildren and family. Though we’re hearing that Omicron may be over by the end of February, we cannot be certain. At the moment, infection and hospitalizations in Oregon are at record highs. If there were a guarantee the disease would be behind us, we would go forward but it is still “best guess speculation,” and we cannot in good conscience ask you to come here.

For Next Year
Coppers Classic 2023 will be held on Friday through Sunday, March 24-26, 2023 and will include our annual mini-workshop the evening of Thursday, March 23. Location will be at the Monarch Hotel and Conference Center.

A gift to all Coppers Classic as a thank you for your love and faith of Coppers Classic
To Weave or Not to Weave: When is the Question or When Left is Right with PL Grove—FREE to alums
a.      Saturday, March 26, 2022
b.      9-11 am PDST
c.      Sign up at eventscoppersclassic@gmail.com to reserve your spot
d.      Guests welcome
i.      Donation $15
ii.     Email eventscoppersclassic@gmail.com to pay and register

A Note from Ellie Hodder, event founder/clinician
I love Coppers Classic. From my perch on the podium, I am privileged to watch your eyes and the change in your body language as we launch into challenging repertoire on Friday morning. I know many of you are thinking in that particular moment that there is no chance we will pull off a concert on  Sunday! Yet, when 4 pm Sunday comes, there is magic in the room, using all we have learned, all of our passion for handbells, as we create an hour of “wow!”

Be well. Stay safe. Keep your vision for who you are as a handbell musician alive in the coming months. May we be together in 2023 sharing a magical weekend of handbells together.

All the best,

Ellie Hodder
Event Founder/Clinician

Vanessa Blake
Event Coordinator

P.L. Grove
Event Registrar

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you’ve found safe ways to ring and share music in 2021 and are looking forward to Coppers Classic in March 2022. While it has taken us three years to get here, this is the 5th Anniversary of Coppers Classic, and we aim to have a safe and celebratory event!

• The Early Bird Registration Deadline is January 15, 2022! Head to the registration page (https://coppersclassic.com/register/) to take advantage of this discount.
• Take advantage, too, of a $20 discount on your Handbell Musicians of America membership with code ACMD2021 at https://handbellmusicians.org/membership/join-the-guild/. Offer expires January 7, 2022!

You may have noticed that we are including bell trees in the repertoire again this year. We’ve been doing this nearly since day one, but it seems especially timely this year, as so many of you have been playing bell trees in order to keep up your skills and also to have music to offer during the darkest days of the pandemic. There are two bell tree parts, but I believe it would be even more fun if we had more than two bell tree musicians. Interested? Drop me a note (directorcoppersclassic@gmail.com) for details on how you can be one of the bell tree soloists!

Most of us expected the pandemic to be in the rear-view mirror by now but it is still here. What has changed is that we have tools and understandings that allow us to do more things like ring together with precautions. We take your well-being seriously and have put some guidelines in place to help keep the event as seamless as possible.

1. All participants need to show proof of vaccination.
2. All participants must wear masks at all times indoors, either an N95 or double layers with a disposable mask covered by a cloth mask which has multiple layers including a filter.
3. We will modify the daily schedule to allow for some longer breaks so musicians can leave the rehearsal space and get outside for some fresh air. In order to make this work, Aguinaldo Isabelino and Flower Duet will be moved to the 2023 repertoire.
4. The Monarch Hotel and Conference Center states: “The Monarch Hotel and Conference Center has remained operational throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and is a committed partner in following all health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Oregon Health Authority, the CDC and Oregon Governor Brown’s Office.” A detailed list of their protocol is on their website at https://monarchhotel.cc.Coppers Classic is shaping up to be a great event and it will be the very best with you in the ensemble. We look forward to seeing you and your fellow musicians in March.

   Have a wonderful New Year. Be well. Stay safe.

Registration is now OPEN for Coppers Classic 2022!

We’re back and excited at the prospect of spending time with you making music. Mark your calendar for March 24-27, 2022, the return of Coppers Classic ! Join excellent and passionate musicians from across the United States and Canada for our Fifth Anniversary. Camaraderie and joyous music making in a weekend of handbells!

The event site has moved to Clackamas, Oregon, a suburb of Portland on I-205 and at the Southeast end of the Max train line at the Clackamas Town Center shopping mall and walking distance to shopping and restaurants.

Event coordinator, Kim Bible, has retired! We salute her excellent leadership as we welcome a new team this year headed by Vanessa Blake, event coordinator and Pamela (P.L.) Grove as registrar.

P.L. will kick off the weekend with an optional workshop “To Weave or Not to Weave, When is the Question!” Rehearsals begin Friday morning with bells from the itty bittys to the buckets.

Music selections include a belltree processional by Louise Frier, a new arrangement by Carmen Medina Jimenez of Puerto Rico (a ton of fun to ring!), a setting Toto’s “Africa” arranged by Julie Turner (she added an SATB choir part just for us!!), a tribute to the late, great Cynthia Dobrinski, and many other exciting compositions. The weekend culminates in a public concert Sunday afternoon.

If you love handbells, if you love a musical challenge, if you love challenging yourself to be the best musician you can be, you will love Coppers Classic.

Questions? Please go the “contact” page and drop us a note.

When the pandemic began way back in 2020, many of us thought we’d be on the bright side by the middle of the year . . . certainly by Fall. Wow! Wasn’t 2020 a year for learning patience and kindness! As we begin to emerge, we’ve reason for optimism and hope as musicians.

Mark your calendar the weekend of March 25-27, 2022 for Coppers Classic #5. We are hopeful. We are ready. We would love to see you there. Ringing will begin with an optional workshop Thursday evening. Friday massed ringing rehearsals begin and culminate with a concert Sunday afternoon.

Coppers Classic is a stretch. You will go home a renewed musician with skills you gained over the weekend with passionate handbell enthusiasts. And you will go home celebrating friends you’ve made from around the globe.

Details coming soon. Watch this space for repertoire, workshop details and much more.

I’ll bet none of us expected to live in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and certainly thought we’d be on the sunny side by now. Wow! What a crazy year.

As I write this, I have made the difficult decision to cancel Coppers Classic 2021. Today, the Portland Metro area is struggling with increased cases of COVID and the promised supply of vaccine apparently does not exist. I want to be able to make music with each of you without worrying about everyone’s safety if this event were held today. So, with an optimistic heart, I let this one go and have my eyes set on 2022.

It has been a very difficult year for musicians everywhere. My small ensembles were able to meet for only a few months in groups of under 10, physically distanced and wearing masks, outside or in well ventilated spaces. It has been hard.

The small silver lining is that I and many of my musicians have necessarily started to try handbell skills we either didn’t have time to add or were nervous about trying. There’s been more belltree playing,

solo and ensemble ringing and a lot of virtual choir music making. I have heard from many of you that you, too, are honing those skills. What a gift that so many of us feel compelled to try to keep making music! In the end, these new and newly enhanced skills will be a huge benefit when we can begin to ring in larger ensembles in the coming months.

As soon as I have clear, trusted information that large gatherings will be possible in 2022, I will finalize a date—likely in late March. You will be the first to know all the details. It will be the happiest and most wonderful Coppers and Kim says we should have special t-shirt!

Please do keep in touch. I love hearing from you. Be well. Stay safe. All the best, Ellie

Unfortunately, it is necessary to cancel Coppers Classic again this year.  We are working on refunding all moneys paid and expect that to happen within the week.  We remain optimistic that we will once again be able to hold this event in 2022.  Please watch for announcements.

Thank you all so much and stay safe!

We are happy to announce that we have a date for Coppers Classic 2021. The event will take place March 18-21, 2021 at the Monarch Hotel and Conference Center in Clackamas, Oregon. Please watch the website for updates.

The 2020 repertoire will move forward to 2021. We will continue to offer a mini-workshop on Thursday evening (3/18) and look forward to seeing you next Spring.

Meanwhile, please stay safe, take good care of yourself and those in your circle.

After watching the unfolding of the Corona Virus on the West Coast, and in consultation with Area 10 leadership, I have made the decision to cancel this year’s Copper’s Classic event. We are optimistic that the global health crisis will be well under control in coming months and that we will be able to go back to hosting  this fabulous handbell event in Area 10 in 2021.

Dates for Coppers Classic 2021 are being researched at the Monarch Hotel and Conference Center, Clackamas, Oregon. We expect a firm date very soon and will announce it on the website and directly to Coppers Classic alums. For those who are registered for Coppers Classic 2020, please watch your inbox for details on refunds and re-scheduling next year.

For details, refer to the website, coppersclassic.com or send an email to the event coordinator Kim Bible.

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to a fabulous event in 2021.

Ellie Hodder, Founding Clinician, Coppers Classic

Glen Hascall, Chair, Area 10

To Weave or Not to Weave . . . When Left is Right!

If you’ve ever played battery or bass bells, you know that four-in-hand is not always the answer for a tough passage in the music. After all, those bells are big! Plus, you never know when your neighbor is going to need that Eb right after you’ve played the D# (enharmonically speaking, of course). This class will focus on solutions for ringing sections of music that require quick changes from one bell to the next. To weave or not to weave: yes, that’s the question. But there’s more than one answer. Sometimes being willing and able to change just one thing can make all the difference in your ability to move quickly and smoothly from one bell to the next. It’s not always as easy as 1-2-3; sometimes 213 is SO much better. Come and learn how putting the bells out of “order” can be a better solution than twisting yourself into a pretzel. Sometimes left can be right (and right should be left)!

For over 45 years, Pamela “P.L.” Grove has been at the forefront of handbell artistry in America. As a founding ringer with the critically acclaimed Sonos Handbell Ensemble, her more notable performances included those with the San Francisco Girls Chorus, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the Kronos Quartet, Frederica von Stade and twice on

Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. She is currently artistic director for Velocity Handbell Ensemble, and has directed several church handbell choirs over the years. She continues to pioneer in the field of handbells as one of only a few people ever to receive a degree in handbell performance, and is currently President of Handbell Musicians of America. Retired from her job as a government public information officer, P.L. now works as a church vocal choir director and spends as much time as possible making music.

Register on the “Event Details” page.